1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to lamp units for vehicles and is directed more particularly to a cargo lamp assembly featuring a light emitting diode.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Combined cargo lamp and center high mounted stop lamp assemblies are generally known. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,891,625, issued Jan. 2, 1990 to Bradley C. Van Riper et al, there is shown and discussed a combined center high mounted stop lamp and cargo lamp assembly for pick-up trucks, vans, and the like. The assembly includes a housing for three side-by-side lamps. Each lamp features an incandescent bulb and a parabolic reflector, and an appropriate lens, red for the stop lamp lens and clear for the cargo lamp lenses.
Another combined cargo lamp and stop lamp is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,086,230, issued Jul. 11, 2000 to George Wooldridge et al. In this instance, the combination is adapted for disposition on a rear cargo door of a panel truck, sport utility vehicle, or the like, wherein a rear cargo door is pivotally mounted on a side edge thereof. The combination features two lamps, a stop lamp for exhibiting a stop-signal, and a cargo lamp for lighting the interior of the vehicle. The assembly features various types of incandescent light bulbs, such as snap-in, plug in and/or hard wired.
The use of incandescent bulbs presents a number of problems. Their size requires an appropriately sized housing. Their life duration requires periodic replacement and can lead to loss of use at inopportune times. Replacement requires service access facility. In some instances, the temperature of functioning incandescent bulbs, particularly in large numbers, can result in problems relative to temperature-sensitive cargo.
Thus, there is a need for a cargo lamp assembly for vehicles, which assembly is devoid of incandescent bulbs and, rather, relies upon light emitting diodes (LED) for optical enhancement of a cargo area.
There is further a need for such a cargo lamp assembly in combination with a center high mounted stop lamp assembly, the latter being of either a traditional structure or of an LED based structure.